There’s a reason so many local governments rely on the council-manager system: It balances democratic accountability with operational expertise.
President Donald Trump has terminated funding for programs ranging from broadband access to digital literacy. Public officials need to step up to help Americans still trapped on the wrong side of the digital divide.
Conflicting mandates chill innovation and create a compliance nightmare while putting national security at risk. A federal moratorium on state regulation would be a good step toward developing a coherent national strategy.
We don't just need to fix America's streets and crosswalks and storm drains. We need to think about what — and who — they're for, and bring ethics into the equation.
They must soon decide whether tariffs will push money market rates above or below market expectations — and place their bets. But shrinking tax receipts and federal cost shifting are likely to have a bigger budgetary impact.
The plug was pulled five years ago on a Google plan to build a digitally connected neighborhood in Toronto. The innovative opportunities it suggested — and the privacy questions it raised — have not gone away.
A number of states, including Oklahoma, have passed tax cuts that only take effect if future budget numbers are met. That may sound sensible but it hides their true costs.
Taxing sodas and taking them off SNAP will reduce intake — which in turn will cut down on diabetes, obesity and heart disease.
We should bring housing, drug treatment and research together under one roof to meet affected people where they are.
With so much federal funding going away, states and localities need to identify what’s most important before they decide what to keep. Across-the-board cuts are not the answer.
Most of the people who show up are there to say no to any kind of denser development. Is it worth trying to get broader public participation?
There are lessons for other states in Colorado, where policymakers are struggling to walk back legislation that would do more harm than good.
By protecting union labor, it prevents transit agencies from making their workforces more efficient. Privatizing and automating operations would save a lot of money and allow for better service.
Police departments use these techniques to help determine where they should concentrate their resources. Artificial intelligence is raising new questions of privacy and transparency.
Borrowing to finance infrastructure is now more expensive. Meanwhile, congressional tax writers are toying with the municipal bond tax exemption, scaring both investors and issuers. State and local debt managers have a lot to think about — and worry about.
It’s no accident that Utah once again leads the nation in job and GDP growth. Free-market reforms in other states are boosting their competitiveness as well.
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